Perennial of the Lamiaceae family, native to the western part of North America, from the Rocky Mountains to the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades. It occupies rocky slopes, dry high-altitude meadows, and well-drained screes, generally between 1,500 and 3,000 meters, in full exposure.
It forms small bushy and compact clumps, reaching 15 to 30 cm in height, with woody stems at the base. The leaves are small, oval, grayish-green, very aromatic — their intense fragrance, reminiscent of mint and oregano mixed, fully justifies the epithet odoratissima and traditionally used as an infusion plant by several Native American peoples of the West.
The tubular flowers, lilac pink to purplish pink, are grouped in dense and rounded heads, surrounded by membranous bracts tinged with purple. Their appearance from afar evokes that of Monarda, with which this closely related genus shares the family. In its natural habitat, flowering extends from July to September depending on the altitude.
In cultivation, it requires very well-drained, light soil, in full sun, and tolerates summer drought well. It is significantly less hardy than the Monarda of the East and suffers from wet winters in our climates; a warm and sheltered exposure, with excellent drainage, is essential for it.